Plate-finishing machine.



J. J. WALSER.

PLATE PINlSHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNI: 3, 1914.

lg. Patented F6112, 11915.

ATE@ OFFICE.

JOSEPH J. WALSER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOSS PRINTING PRESS COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PLATE-FINISHING MACHINE.

Application filed .Tune 3, 1914.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH J. WALsER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plate-Finishing Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to plate finishing machines of the type employing a rotatable drum for carrying a printing plate into operative engagement with means for shaving the ribs on the inner face and for severing the tail and trimming the ends of the plate.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide means for holding the plate in tight engagement with the drum during the time when the tail-severing and trimming cutters are in operative engagement with the plate in addition to the means carried by the drum for locking the plate in position, whereby the plate is held against being twisted or otherwise distorted by the action of the cutters.

It is another object of my invention to provide a suitable shield for preventing the accumulation of chips and shavings in and about the means by which the plate is locked in the drum.

The means by which I have accomplished my objects are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and are hereinafter specifically described.

That which I believe to be new is set forth in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an end view of a plate finishing ,machine embodying my improvements; Fig. 2 is an enlarged View,

being substantially a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l, but with the drum given a partial rotation from the position shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail, illustrating the mounting of the shield upon the plate locking means.

Vteferring to the several figures of the drawings in which corresponding parts are indicated bythe same reference characters,- 10 indicates a frame having a drum or shell 11 revolubly mounted thereon in any suitable manner. As best shown in Fig. 2, the drum 11 has revolubly mounted upon it an annular worm gear 12 which is adapted to be driven continuously by a worm 13 mounted upon the shaft 14 driven from any suit-- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

serial no. 842,579.

able source of power. The drum is adapted to be connected with the gear 12 so as to be given a single complete rotation thereby by any suitable means, not shown. As shown in Fig. 1, the drum is provided at one side with a notched block 15 adapted to be engaged by a roller 16 carried by one arm of a bell-crank lever 17 suitably mounted upon the frame, the said roller being normally held turned to the right in said figure by means of a coiled spring 18 mounted between the bell-crank lever and the frame upon a pin 19 pivotally connected with said lever. As will be readily understood, the lever 17 and block 15 are so positioned as to hold the drum yieldingly in normal position to receive a plate to be trimmed or to deliver the plate after being trimmed, this means serving to insure the stoppage of the drum at the proper point.

20 indicates a heavy bracket of any suitable type rising from the framework 10 and extending into the drum 11.

Guides 21-22 are mounted upon the bracket 20, one at each side thereof, adapted to be engaged by the edges of a plate being pushed into position in the drum upon the plate supports 23-24t fixed on the inner periphery of the drum at opposite sides thereof. The plate support 24 is made in two sections suitably spaced apart for the insertion of the plate locking means, as hereinafter set forth, and as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. A plate stop device 25 of any approved type is mounted on said bracket 20, adapted to engage the leading end of a plate being pushed into position in the drum, as for example the plate 26 shown in the'drawings, for stopping the plate in proper position for the finishing operation, means of any suitable type being employed if desired for automatically moving the stop device outV of engagement with the plate in time for the advance of the plate from the finishing drum to the cooling means, as will be readily understood.

Inasmuch as the parts so far described form no part of themselves of my present invention, it is believed that it is not necessary to further describe them or their operation herein.

Referring now especially to Fig. 3, 27 indicates a plate slidably mounted on the outer face of the drum 11, being provided with alug 28 extending from its inner face through a suitable slot 29 in the wall of the drum, said lug 28 comprising a head 30 eX- tending longitudinally of the drum between the sections of the plate supporting means 24. The plate 27 is also provided with a lug 31 extending from its outer face, having mounted thereon av pin 32 extending loosely through a suitable opening in a lug 33 eX- tending outwardly from the drum 11. The pin 32 has mounted upon it between the lugs 31-33 a coiled spring 34C tending to hold ythe slidable plate 27 moved lupward in Figs. 1. and 3 for locking the plate in the drum as shown in Fig. 1. In practice, ysuitable additional n'iechanism not illustrated herein is provided for holding the lug 28 in plate-receiving position as illustrated in Fig. 3 until it is desired that the plate be locked in they drum', whereupon the spring 34 is permitted to'move the lug into' plate locking position as shown in Fig. 1.

With the plate 26 looked in the drum by means of the head. 30 of the lug 28 moved into locking position bythe spring 311, as above described, upon the application of power to the shaft 14: for rotating the drum 11 in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, the inner facje's of the ribs 35 of the plate 26 are brought into engagement with the rounded edge of a heavy plate 36 mounted upon the bracket 20, this engagement serving to hold the plate back relative to the Adrum 11 in its rotation therein, with theedge of the plate which yis in the rear in such rotation forced 4ve'rytightly against the plate support 23. The plate is thus held very firmly in position against the inner face of the drum. The plate 36 also serves as a mangler for smoothing the inner faces of the ribs 35, as will be readily understood. At about the beginning of the engagement of the printing plate 26 with the mangler 36, the printing plate 26 is also brought into contact with a rotary plate cutter 37 adapted to be revolvedy continuously through the medium of a shaft 38 upon which the cutter is mounted, said rotary cutter being provided for the purpose of severing the tail from the plate and for trimming the real" end of the plate, a similar cutter similarly positioned at theother end of the drum being adapted at the same time to trim the forward end of the plate. By reason of the use of the mangler 36 forcing the printing plate so tightly into engagement with the inner face of the drum 11, the printing plate is held against twisting or turning relative to the drum during the action of the rotary cutters on said plate, the plate being protected in this way against being distorted by said cutters.

At about the time the rear edge of the printing plate in the direction of rotation of the printing plate with the drum 11 is carried out of contact with the rotary cutp inet/,12e

ters, the leading edge of the plate is brought into contact ,with the shaving blade 39 which is suitably mounted in any appropriate manner upon the bracket 20, said shaving blade 39 serving to trim off the ribs 35 to the proper thickness for properly supporting the printing plate upon a press, as is well understood in the art.

In order to protect the plate locking means, comprising the lug 28 having a working fit in the slot 29 through the wall of the drum 11, from becoming clogged up by the' soft chips and shavings of printing plate metal cut from the plate 26V by the rotary cutters and by the shaving blade 39, I have provided a shield 40 which is moved upward with vthe lug 28 in its plate' locking motion for covering the slot 29 and the plate supporting rib 24 when the plate is locked in position for the trimming and shaving operations. In the construction shown, this shield 40 is mounted upon the head 30, extending from one end of the drum to the other in contact with the edge of the printing plate resting upon the support 24the shield serving to protect the plate looking means when in plate locking position, but movable with the plate locking means, upon the unlocking of a plate, out of thepath of the next-succeeding plate to be pushed into the drum. y

By the use of my mangl'erI am enabled to smooth th'e inner faces of the bearing ribs of a printing plate, removing irregularities therefrom and rendering the ribs more compact. The action 'of the shaving blade upon the ribs thereafter is more uniform and even than if the `ribs had not been previously acted upon by the mangler.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a plate finishing apparatus, thecombination of means adapted to act upon a plate for smoothing the faces of the bear# ing ribs, and other means whose action follows that of the smoothing means for yshaving said ribs to the required thickness.

2. In a plate finishing apparatus, the combination of a mangler adapted to smooth the faces ofthe bearing ribs of a plate, and a shaving blade adapted to act upon said previously smoothed ribs for shaving 'them to the required thickness.

3. In a plate iinishing apparatus, the combination of a shell, means for locking a printing plate in said shell, and afmangler against which the ribs of a print-ing plate locked in said shell are adapted to be brought upon the rotation ofy the shell for lsmoothing said ribs, the engagement of said mangler with said plate serving to tighten said plate very firmly against the inner face of said shell.

4. In a plateliinishing apparatus, the combination lof a shell, means for locking a kprinting plate in said shell, and a stationary plate having a rounded engaging edge against which the ribs of a printing plate locked in said shell are adapted to be brought upon the rotation of the shell for smoothing said ribs, the engagement of said mangler with said printing plate serving to tighten said printing plate very firmly against the inner face of said shell.

5. In a plate finishing apparatus, the combination of a shell, means for locking a printing plate in said shell, a mangler against Which the ribs of a printing plate locked in said shell are adapted to be brought upon the rotation of the shell for smoothing said ribs, the engagement of said mangler With said plate serving to tighten said plate very firmly against the inner face of said shell, and a cutter adapted to trim one end of said printing plate While said printing plate is moving past said mangler.

6. In a plate finishing apparatus, the combination of a shell, means for locking a printing plate in said shell, a mangler against Which the ribs of a printing plate locked in said shell are adapted to be brought upon the rotation of the shell for smoothing said ribs, the engagement of said mangler With said plate serving to tighten said plate very firmly against the inner face of said shell, and a tail-severing cutter adapted to act upon said printing plate While said plate is moving past said mangler.

7. In a plate finishing apparatus, the combination of a shell, means for locking a printing plate in said shell, a mangler against which the ribs of a printing plate locked in said shell are adapted to be brought upon the rotation of the shell for smoothing said ribs, the engagement of. said mangler with said plate serving to tighten said plate very firmly against the inner face of said shell, and rotary cutters adapted to trim the ends of said printing plate While said printing plate is moving past said mangler.

8. ,In a plate finishing apparatus, the combination of' a shell, means for locking a printing plate in said shell, a mangler against which the ribs of al printing plate locked in said shell are adapted to be brought upon the rotation of the shell for smoothing said ribs, the engagement of said mangler with said plate serving to tighten said plate very firmly against the inner face of said shell, and a shaving blade located substantially diainetrically opposite said mangler adapted to shave said smoothed ribs to the required thickness.

9. In a plate finishing machine, the combination of a shell, means for rota-ting the shell, means for locking a printing plate in said shell, means adapted to operatively engage a printing plate carried around by said shell for trimming the ends of the plate, anda shield adapted to prevent the chips from the trimming means from becoming' lodged in said plate locking means.

ll0. In a plate finishing machine, the combination of a shell, means for rotating the shell, means for locking a printing plate in said shell, means adapted to operatively engage a printing plate carried around by said shell for properly shaving the ribs on said plate, and a shield adapted to abut against one edge of the printing plate for preventing the chips from the shaving means from becoming lodged in said plate locking means.

ll. In a plate finishing machine, the combination of a shell, means for rotating the shell, means for locking a printing plate in said shell, cutting means adapted to operatively engage a printing plate carried around by said shell for finishing the plate, and a shield adapted to extend from the edge of the printing plate When locked in position in the shell to the inner face of the shell adjacent thereto covering the plate locking means for preventing chips from the finishing cutters from becoming lodged in said plate locking means.

12. In a plate finishing machine, the combination of a shell, means for rotating the shell, means for locking a printing plate in said shell comprising a lug extending through a slot in the Wall of the shell and movable therealong, cutting means adapted to operatively engage a printing plate carried around by said shell for finishing the plate, and a shield adapted to cover said slot when the plate locking means is in operative plate locking position for preventing the chips from the finishing cutters from becoming lodged in said slot.

13. In a plate finishing machine, the combination of a shell, means for rotating the shell, means for locking a printing plate in said shell comprising a lug extending through a slot in the Wall of the shell and movable therealong, cutting means adapted to operatively engage a printing plate carried around by said shell for finishing the plate, and a shield movable With said plate locking means for preventing chips from the finishing cutters from becoming lodged in said plate locking means.

14. In a plate finishing machine, the combination of a shell, means for rotating the shell, means for locking a printing plate in said shell comprising a lug extending through a slot in the Wall of the shell and movable therealong, cutting means adapted to operatively engage a printing plate carried around by said shell for finishing the plate, and a shield mounted on said lug and movable therewith adapted to prevent chips from said finishing cutters from becoming lodged in said slot.

15. In a plate finishing machine, the combination of a shell having supporting means extending longitudinally thereof at opposite sides adaptedto receive the edges of a printing plate, means adjacent to one of t said printing means for locking a printing plate in said shell, cutting means Vadapted to operatively engage a printing plate carried around' by said shell for finishing the plate, and a shield adapted to cover said last-mentioned plate supporting means and 1o said plate looking means When the plate looking means is in operative plate looking position for protecting said parts from the chips from the linishing cutters.

' JOSEPH J. WALSER.

l/Vitnesses:

Griso. A. EDDY, W. H. DE BUsK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

